DC's NEW 52 issues #6 Part One

ACTION COMICS #6:  The book begins with negotiations being made for the Kryptonite from Kal-El’s rocket. Hey, if it’s made right, it can be Red-K,  Black-K, Silver-K and the ultra special Blue-K. But Kal-El and the adult Legion of Superheroes are trying to fix the rocket and realize they need to go into Superman’s brain where there is a Tesseract space where the Anti-Superman Squad is hiding. The Legion defeat the bad guys, Superman repowers the ship and the mission gets accomplished. In the back-up story, Clark packs up his stuff and moves out of the family home after the death of his parents.

Wow: I totally have to bow to the genius of Grant Morrison and thank him for these last two issues. We get the adult Legion of Superheroes, the ORIGINAL youthful trio that I grew up with, some really nice turns with Clark and Pa Kent, the entire rainbow of K’s. Sorry…just geeking out there for a moment. So, Mr. Morrison hits one out of the park and makes me remember why I love comics so much. And Andy Kubert’s art should make his family proud.. Great story arc. I hope the momentum continues next issue as we go back to the storyline left hanging at the end of issue #4.

ALL STAR WESTERN #6: Jonah and Dr. Arkham, well mostly Jonah, takes out the giant bat and make their way out of the Bat cave. Yeah…really the bat cave as they emerge from under the stately home of Alan and Catherine Wayne. Right…Wayne Manor. Wayne, Hex and Arkham lead a raid on the underground mine.that ends up in a major bloodfest. Leave it to Jonah to let a little torture lead him to the answers he needs. Seems Mister O’Grady has been hiding young Mr. Moody and Thurston Moody is responsible for kidnapping the boys and putting them to work in the mine. So Hex heads to New Orleans to find Moody. Waiting for him there: Nighthawk and Cinnamon. The back-up story concludes the origin story of the Asian heroine The Barbary Ghost.

Yet again, I am forced to bitch out DC for giving me a 20 page main story with a back-up tale for $3.99. The main story rocks and I love where it goes, especially showing up in Wayne Manor after finding a giant bat UNDER Wayne Manor! And I do like the back-up story. I could seriously see this being a lead feature or headlining a book. But give me a full main story for my FOUR BUCKS!

ANIMAL MAN #6: What I can best call a fill-in issue as Cliff spends most of the book watching a film called TIGHTS starring Buddy Baker.

The first issue if this title that I really haven’t been happy with. The story is an interesting analogy for our hero but doesn’t progress the story foreword to my liking. Nice art from John Paul Leon, but three pages of continuity and the use of the word “porn” three times in two pages sdoesn’t cut it for me.

AQUAMAN #6: Four years ago, Mera’s father sends her off to kill the man she ends up with. But that’s food for later as Mera ends up in town to get dog food and gets hit on by this perverted store clerk named Randy. Mera takes care of him by snapping his arm like a twig. Things gets crazy as someone calls the police and we have a bit of a situation. But it gets worse as someone has broken out of prison and is holding his daughter hostage. We discover that Mera has the power to drain water from bodies and that is how he gets weak enough to be taken into custody. We also find that Mera doesn’t quite understand us surface dwellers. She does makes friends with Jennifer, one of the other clerks from the grocery store. When she returns home, Arthur tells her they are off to see Dr. Shin, who is going to tell them who sank Atlantis.

Like the last issue, this one goes into some weird places. Mera was supposed to kill Aquaman? Really? That’s a serious rewrite on history. Then we get the whole get molested and then end up at a hostage taking sub-plot. So next issue, the pair find out who sunk Atlantis, which seems like a big surprise to Mera. Have I ever said that Ivan Reis’ art blows me away? And Geoff Johns script is pretty cool too…certainly better than what he is writing for JUSTICE LEAGUE.

BATGIRL #6:  Batgirl ends up talking Bruce Wayne out of killing her and we get the back story on Gretel. Once a reporter named Lisly Bonner, she was essentially murdered by Boss Whittaker. But she came back with special powers and turned herself into the vigilante. Batman gets involved, as does Detective McKenna, who cuts the two heroes some slack so they can capture Gretel.

Nice wrap up to the storyline with Gretel, who makes a very cool addition to the Interesting new villain and a bunch of fun with Babs mom. Nice Gail Simone story and typically cool art from Ardian Syaf. Still one of my favorite books and I’m still waiting  for the payoff on Barbara Gordon’s recovery.

BATMAN #6: Batman is still alive but not for long as the Court of the Owls is calling for his death. Just when it seems Batman is done, he rises up and takes down Talon and manages to escape. The Court of Owls decides to do away with Talon, who has failed them. Not a big problem for them as they have a room filled with caskets filled with potential new Talons.

Okay, this was kind of a let down. We spend the first third of the book with Batman getting his ass whipped and then, all of a sudden, he gets the reserve and strikes back. Yeah…that’s called painting yourself out of a plot corner. But that’s all right because this is the introduction to the cross title Owl storyline coming in the next few months. That’s a good thing because another issue like this would be a horrible mistake.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #6: Batman recovers from the butt whipping he got from Superman last issue and realizes that The Flash has been poisoned and if he stops running the toxin will kill him. So Superman heads off to find him while the next surprise member of the super enhanced Rogues Gallery arrives: Bane(of course…there IS a movie coming soon!). There’s the guy behind the toxin! Now THAT makes sense. Only problem is that the toxin makes the already monstrously muscular Bane smarter.

Another beautiful looking issue that FINALLY gives us a payoff regarding the mystery of the Toxin. Of note this issue is that David Finch is still getting top billing on the cover while Paul Jenkins actually wrote this issue solo while Finch only handled the art chores. Does it makes a noticeable difference? It didn’t to me. It pretty much read the same as previous issues, so I guess it shows how much co-writing was actually going on.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #6: Ducard pushes Damien to cross over to the Dark Side to no avail, as he rejects his burning methods(see…it has to do with acid baths). We get the tale of how Bruce left the tutelage of the Ducards after he was betrayed. Meanwhile, Batman gets to listen to his son being tortured. Yeah…this isn’t going to end well for someone!

Another top-notch issue here. We get a little more back story on the relationship between a younger Bruce Wayne and the Ducards. Peter Tomasi once again writes a great story filled with twists and turns while Patrick Gleason puts the icing on the cake with his great artwork. Winner, winner, Batman and Robin dinner!

BATWOMAN #6: Batwoman is fighting with a guy with a scythe while some dude in a legionnaires outfit watches. What? So we cut to a month earlier, where Bette’s uncle reads to her as she is still in the hospital. Jump to a week ago where Maggie is dealing with a woman who wants to know where her children are. Four months ago, an Asian woman sets everything in motion by drowning Maria’s children. Kate’s story goes back three weeks and while being romantic with Maggie, she is still doing her share of hiding things from her, specifically her activities as Batwoman. Chase’s story is from two weeks ago and we find out what kind of a costume upgrade Batwoman got from the D.E.O.. And that brings us all back to now, as Batwoman turns the table on the guy with the psythe for a hand.

Very strange issue that bounces in so many directions that it becomes overly confusing. The timeline is all over the place and it took me two good solid readings to get comfortable with the story. Picture reading PULP FICTION. This issue does not play in a lineal fashion.. Amy Reeder is the artist this month and her work is good but not as attractive as J. H. Williams. Curious to see if this trend of storytelling continues over the next few issues or not.

BIRDS OF PREY#6: It’s all about Choke. Seems that the mysterious Choke is responsible for putting post hypnotic suggestions into emails and texts or some people and uses them to do the dirty work. Well, the Birds have figured that out and now find themselves in an office, attacked by office workers reciting nursery rhymes. Next issue: Choke Revealed.

Yeah…nothing I like better than ending with a cliffhanger the issue before and having it get resolved(somewhat) on page 14 of the following issue. C’mon…REALLY!? I said last month this storyline needs to end and I meant it. It will take SEVEN issues to get this resolved…not to mention that this was a total cluster of crap. Isn’t AMAZING how they figured this out? Really? How about a little “this is how we figured it out” thrown in there. And they managed to capture all of these brainwashed people. When did that happen? Oh yeah…as they say in the movie and TV business…it happened OFF CAMERA. That just means poor storytelling. Nice art fill from Javier Pina tough. Finish it, guys. Or else I will find myself finished with this title.

 CATWOMAN #6: Selena finds herself in the custody of some of the dirty cops on the Gotham Police Department. She also realizes that Reach is working with them and proceeds to get a major whipping at her hands. Lucky for her she knows how to bite someone'’ ear off and gain a little bit of an advantage back. And just before it looks REALLY bad, the day is saved by one good cop, who allows her to go free. She tussles up with Batman and admits she has a death wish. At the end of the tale, she reveals herself to Gwen Altamont and asks for her help.

Wow! Nice end to this part of the story. Great little line about how Batman won’t do anything as long as they continue to have sex. Yeah…I’m not making that one up. That is THE LINE. Another truly awesome issue from Judd Winick and Guillem March. I have nothing else to say. I just continue to advise you each month to support this title. Just go buy the book!

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6: CHALLENGERS is a TV reality show where a group of celebrities make their way to the Himalayas in a “competition of wits and edurance”. Along with the celebrities are host Clay Brody, producer June Robbins, her pilot boyfriend Ace and his co pilot Maverick. Along the way, the mountain seemingly comes alive and the plane crashes ina big fireball. June awakens from a nightmare where Ace is killing her to find she and the other survivors are in Nanda Parbat(DC’s version of Shangri-La). Ace is buried in the Well of Souls but the High Priest of Rama Kushna has a banquet in their honor. A drugged banquet as the survivors go to sleep only to wake up at the crash site. And Clay has a secret: an archaeological stone which led him here. A rescue helicopter arrives but not before Clay is swallowed by some long tongued beast in the mountains. As the survivors fly off, June sees that they are all “living on borrowed time”(the motto of the original Challengers) and that they should “make the most of  it”

I’m psyched about this series! I LOVED the CHALLENGERS in almost all of their incarnations. A little back story for the uninformed. CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN made their appearance in SHOWCASE  #6 way back in 1957. The original team was Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Matthew "Red" Ryan, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, and Walter Mark "Prof" Haley. Later on, Ryan was killed and replaced by his pop star brother Tino Manarry. When Ryan came back from the dead, his brother disappeared (with one of Red’s eyes…long story). June Robbins later joined the Challengers as an honorary Challenger. Their adventures ran throughout the Sixties and infrequently during the Seventies and showed up in various alternate versions and one truly trippy version by Howard Chaykin.

So now we get this version. And, most importantly, we get Nanda Parbat. How important is that. Name it: Judomaster lived here, The “original” Question trained Renee Montoya here(and he died here). But, most importantly, Rama Kushna hangs her hat here. And even though Ace appears dead, we have a Prof and a Rocky and a Red, along with some other characters who may or may play their parts in the future months(maybe Brenda is supposed to represent occultist Corinna Stark). Interesting that it looks like June, the “honorary Challenger” may be the one taking the lead in this new series. Dan Didio, who has already proven he can tap into classic Sixties  and Seventies works turns in a fun story here and the legendary Jerry Ordway combines with Ray McCarthy and Andy Lanning(yes…THAT Andy Lanning) to turn out his always killer art. I cannot wait for the next issue. Hey guys: don’t mess this up and give us a regular series down the road(how about a SEA DEVILS series while you’re at it?)/

DEATHSTROKE #6: Starting with a flashback of Grant and Slade in training. The flashback ends with Grant’s apparent death. In the present, Slade and the “suit” continue to battle. Slade finds out this is about April who he bumped off in issue #1. But Slade knows how to use an E.M.P. blast and that shuts down the bad guy. And we find out who is pulling the strings of April’s mom and dad: Grant Wilson. There’s a twist!

The team of Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert gets circumvented this month by having Eduardo Pansica and Vicente Cifuentes take over the art chores. No biggie: their work is great and fits the tone of the book just fine. One more issue to go and then Mr. Liefeld puts his feet all over it. Hope it doesn’t go downhill, as I really like this title!

DEMON KNIGHTS #6: Exoristos leads the attack while Xanadu plots to do something terrible, but can’t. Horsewoman sends an army of horses into battle to the dragons while Etrigan saves Exoristos long enough to have the final charge begin. Next issue: the final battle.

Lots of action this month with only a little plot movement. More great stuff from the team of Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves. Really looking forward to the conclusion of this storyline!

DETECTIVE COMICS #6: Rivers is still at Penguin’s Casino. Batman finds Raju, one of the Penguin’s men, dead in a bloody bathtub. We meet a new character named Snakeskin and the temptress with an eye patch, who has a sister named…Charlotte Rivers. Unfortunately for her, she gets attacked by Snakeskin just as Batman arrives. Even worse, his feelings for her get the two of them in a very cold situation they may not get out of.

A much better story than last issue’s disaster, fully written and illustrated(with inks by Sandu Florea) by Tony Salvatore Daniel. Having sisters being on opposite sides of the law is nothing new, but always fun to see woven into a story. And just what is The Penguin up to? You know it can’t be good!. And no 8 page back-up story this time around. Nice job, guys!

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #6: While humanoids are being devolved and recycled, one of them gains intelligence and runs away. Off on planet Earth, Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos are trolling down the Mekong Delta in search of Colonel Quantum: a refugee from the Vietnam War who apparently has pulled a Colonel Kurtz in the deep jungle. And just like in APOCALYPSE NOW, the mission is to assassinate Quantum. When they arrive at Quantum’s home in the jungle, he begs to be taken out and is quickly accommodated. But things are bad at S.H.A.D.E.net as the original Creature Commandos take control.

Another bang-up issue by the team of J.G. Jones, Alberto Ponticelli and Jeff Lemire. And obviously, the story gets a nod to Joseph Conrad and Francis Ford Copolla too. Can this story get wrapped by the time issue #9 comes oput, when I expect the O.M.A.C. story to get merged into this title(as O.M.A.C. gets cancelled at issue #8 to make room from some of the six new  NEW 52 titles).

GREEN LANTERN #6: Hal busts up a bunch of guys trying to steal airplane parts. He’s impressed: he can do this without having an active Lantern ring. Meanwhile, Sinestro gets into a tussle with Starstorm. That goes well, but Sinestro still needa a partner and goes to retrieve Jordan who ends up as Sinestro’s sidekick, whether he likes it or not.

This issue let me down this month. Okay, so we know Jordan wants to be a Lantern but is trying to kick the habit. And Sinestro has his own agendas on his plate and will pursue them to the fullest. And that means dragging poor Hal back into it. Yawn-we KNOW this is where this is going, so move it along. Also wasn’t thrilled with Mike Choi’s art. There’s nothing wrong with it but I’m just not a huge fan of the painted art thing.  So, this issue falls flat and I hope it doesn’t become a two-time problem with the next issue.

THE HUNTRESS #6: Helena breaks a lot of rules in a foreign land to finally get to The Chairman’s son. She makes him promise to donate 2 billion to charities associated with abused women and she will let him live. So how does she get away from the authorities and get out of the country. By having a friend like Kara Starr, soon to be known as Power Girl. Yes, this is the lead in to WORLD’S FINEST in just 60 short days.

Finally it ends, not with a bang but with a definite whimper. This book was SO BAD that words continue to fail me. I do not like Helena as a character, I don’t like The Huntress as a character and the plot could have been wrapped up in two issues , maybe three. To run it out for six issues was a reason to make money. Thumbs DOWN to Paul Levitz even while giving a BIG THUMBS UP to Marcus To. And REALLY BIG THUMBS UP to Guillem March for a great cover which has nothing really to do with the book, except it looks REALLY GOOD! I have said previously that I wouldn’t read Levitz’ WORLD’S

FINEST(yes, they have moved the apostrophe YET AGAIN!). I may not even read issue #1.